Leviticus 3
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1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
5 And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the Lord.
8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
9 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
10 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord.
12 And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord.
13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
14 And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
15 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the Lord's.
17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
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Commentary
The peace offering ritual celebrated the well-being of the human relationship with God through sacrifice. It pointed to Christ’s sacrifice, by which God’s people enjoy peace with Him (Rom 5:1). This healthy relationship was signified by a meal shared by God and the offerer. The peace offering was the only sacrifice from which the offerer could partake of the meat after the fat was burned on the altar to God and the priest took his portion (compare Lev 7). God’s “eating” was symbolic because He doesn’t need human food (Ps 50:13).
Like the grain offering, the peace offering did not atone for specific sins. Nevertheless, its blood ransomed the life (made atonement for the soul) of the offerer (Lev 17:11), showing that human lives depend on a restored relationship with God through Christ’s blood. His sacrifice is not only for us, but must be taken into us spiritually, as Jesus said: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53, explained in verse 63). When we accept Christ into us (partaking of Him) through the Holy Spirit, His love lives within us (Rom 5:5; Gal 2:20) and transforms all our relationships.
Now that’s worth celebrating!
Roy Gane
Andrews University
